


the apartment’s friendly ghost

by sugarcoats



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, First Crush, Fluff, Ghosts, Halloween, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 19:20:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarcoats/pseuds/sugarcoats
Summary: Jisung is a ghost and Jaemin moves in.





	the apartment’s friendly ghost

Jisung has a problem. You see, he has a reputation to uphold in the neighbourhood. He keeps to himself, intimidates the kid living downstairs and scares off the cat occasionally.

He’s fine with being on his own, he really is. He occasionally leaves the apartment for as far as it lets him, always inevitably being drawn back home by his supernatural bond. It leaves him with a space of forty squared meters in the outskirts of Seoul. A few years ago, he’d lived here with his grandmother, but then he… well, he died. His grandma moved out before Jisung could process he was a ghost, and he was left alone in this apartment. He intended to keep it like that, even with new people moving in. So, time after time, he found ways to scare people off, haunt the people living here until they freaked out and moved out again.

Now, a new tenant was moving in. Jisung’s death hadn’t been gruesome enough to turn the property into an haunted house; in fact, his death had been rather boring, even if it was technically a haunted house. According to anyone walking past, or the estate agent, this was a normal building, nothing special about it.

Jisung planned to keep to himself initially, giving the new person the chance to settle in and also avoiding the possibility of running into more people, before scaring the person out of his place. Curiosity gets the best of him, however.

He hears the door open and shut, then an adult, female voice talking. A younger, male voice replies. Mother and son? Jisung wonders. He’s currently invisible, sitting in between breakfast bar and wall in the open kitchen. The first person who moved in after Jisung died and his grandmother officially moved out, had installed a breakfast bar. They left too little space between the table and the wall to comfortably sit, so it became a messy storage place instead.

In the two years Jisung had lingered here, no one has bothered to remove it, always being spooked by Jisung’s activity sooner or later, and now it makes for an excellent place to observe the kitchen and living room without being accidentally walked through.

The kitchen, while furnished, was currently completely empty. The woman came in first, dragging in a suitcase in one hand and carrying a small box in the other. She has a kind face, and Jisung immediately knows he is going to have a really hard time scaring her away, if he attempts at all. 

“C’mon,” the woman says, pulling the boy into a close hug the second he enters. Then, more softly, “I’m gonna miss you.”

The scene is so intimate, Jisung feels like an intruder in his own house, and he disappears through the wall into the bathroom. Since not only was it intimate, it also reminds him too much of the family he misses. 

Thankfully Jisung was good at entertaining himself, and he manages to avoid the new tenants until far into the afternoon. He walks through the door to the living room. The woman has left by now, and he catches sight of her son, Jaemin, as he’s learnt from their conversations.

Jaemin is gorgeous. He and his family must be well-off too, if he’s able to live here on his own as a young college student.

Jisung is relieved he didn’t have to haunt the mother into moving out, but looking at Jaemin’s face doesn’t make it any easier. The guy is cute, probably a few years older than Jisung when he died. 

In his mother’s company, he was all smiles and laughs. Now, however, his face has dropped, and he’s having takeout on the small couch that they had placed in the living room.

•••

The first time Jisung shows himself and talks to Jaemin, he takes it well. Way too well, actually, and Jisung is at a loss of words. Here he is, a supernatural creature, a being of death and grief, and Jaemin is unfazed?

Jaemin’s tone is light, as if he were making small talk. “How long have you been here?”

“Two years. I lived here with my grandma, when uhh…” Jisung gauges Jaemin’s reaction before continuing, “when my heart just stopped beating, for no apparent reason.”

“Nice. That it’s only been two years meaning we’re basically the same age, I mean, not the fact that you died. It’s like a forced roommate situation.”

“Have you met other ghosts before?” he asks Jaemin cautiously. It’s the only explanation for his reaction he can think of.

“Nope,” he smiles, “but I guess, it makes sense.” When Jisung only gives him a disbelieving look, he elaborates, “I never believed in ghosts, because there was no proof. You are my proof, so of course I believe in ghosts now.”

Jisung’s baffled by this logic, but the lack of freaking out makes both of their lives a lot easier. Jisung pops up whenever he wants and Jaemin asks for favours, such as checking his calender when he’s too lazy to walk to the other room.

Sure, Jaemin complains about privacy when Jisung conveniently barges in at 9am on a Sunday to see his messy bed hair, or when Jaemin finds Jisung in his bed at 3pm on a Tuesday after class, because “it’s just so comfy, hyung.”

Neither of them had signed up for a roommate, but somehow they manage to settle into a nice routine. Jisung can control his corporeal body to a certain extent, and manipulate his visibility. Jaemin’s first response to that was to make him cook, but after Jisung’s repeated reassurances that he would set the kitchen on fire, as well as actually managing to drop multiple pans, Jaemin’s satisfied with Jisung’s observing glance over his shoulder.

When Jaemin’s hand ruffles Jisung’s hair absentmindedly, Jisung’s heart roars. He’s never felt so jittery and alive.

•••

“Maybe I just have a really bad taste in men.” Jaemin sighs as he enters and drops onto the couch.

Jisung has been going through his Discover Weekly on Spotify before this announcement and he pauses the music. “What happened?”

“More like, what didn’t happen. The guy left after one drink, and wasn’t subtle about it. Be honest, or make your excuse believable.” Jaemin scoffs. 

Jisung is unsure how to offer comfort, so he resorts to the one foolproof method he knows. “Cuddles and a movie?”

Jaemin’s face lights up. “Thank you, Jisungie. You always know what to do.” He gets up to get snacks, and Jisung starts looking for a movie to watch.

The TV screen is still on  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ ’s title screen when Jaemin returns. Jisung hesitates for a moment before bringing up, not wanting to ruin Jaemin’s mood again.

Jaemin seems to sense Jisung’s debate, because he gives him an encouraging nod. 

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to but—just wanted to say that even though I haven’t been on many dates during my lifetime, I know that any guy would be lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, really. That’s sweet, and the same for you. Any guy, or…” Jaemin trailed off, leaving an open invitation for Jisung to jump in if he felt comfortable.

Jisung fiddles with his fingers. “Anyone. I’m pretty sure I’m bi.” He smiles.

Jaemin nudges him, a sign that Jisung takes to make himself corporeal again, and Jaemin leans against his shoulder. “Cool.” 

Jaemin continues, a bit softer now. “It’s not all bad, it’s just… Days like these make it feel pretty hopeless.”

“You’re okay. Don’t think about it for today. You have me.” Jisung hopes he doesn’t detect the double message in that. “Let’s start the movie.”

Jaemin cuddles closer during the movie, and by the end credits, Jisung is pretty sure he is asleep. He gradually helps Jaemin into a more comfortable position and wraps him into a blanket.

He is under no illusion that they have a fated connection, a promise of ‘friends  _ and more _ ’. He wants there to be though, and for once, he desperately wishes Jaemin gone so they could’ve met under different circumstances.

•••

Life continues, and their friendship grows. Jaemin shares more of his daily life, Jisung opens up to him about his past, and they continue having movie nights. Jaemin buys an extra controller and they game on his computer.

Jisung’s crush on Jaemin has all but disappeared, but he’s made peace with it. Life has drastically improved since he moved in that day three months ago. Jisung made a friend which makes life, or afterlife actually, much more enjoyable and interesting.

He’s satisfied with their current situation, which makes Jaemin’s sudden flirting weird. At first, Jisung doesn’t think much of it, figuring Jaemin is only in a good mood and taking their banter too far. But when Jaemin doesn’t back down, Jisung starts to get more flustered.

He had made it to a habit to appear behind Jaemin after he’s taken a shower and blow into his wet hair. Normally, Jaemin would just push him away, and they would laugh at each other. Now, Jaemin shakes his hair violently to get the remaining drops of water everywhere before catching Jisung in an embrace, making him as wet as he can. Instead of letting go, he buries his face into his neck. 

Jisung blushes and he’s grateful that Jaemin can’t see his face. When he lets go, Jisung disappears immediately, too embarrassed to face Jaemin’s smug smile. 

“Where did you go? Not so bold now, huh.” Jaemin laughs.

“Shut up.” Jisung opens and closes the door to show Jaemin he is leaving, since he refuses to turn visible again until he has regained his composure.

Situations like these are repeated over the following weeks, and every night, Jisung tells himself to be more confident and flirt back, or at least stop escaping the situations they happen to land in. It’s not like Jaemin has given up on flirting so far, so that’s a good sign, Jisung reminds himself. 

•••

This time it’s Jisung who takes the initiative, complimenting Jaemin’s hair and his “nice shirt, seems to be made of boyfriend material.” He aims to make Jaemin just as flustered and blushing mess as Jaemin makes him. Perfect Jaemin however, Jaemin who always knows what to say, Jaemin who turned Jisung’s life and heart upside down, simply flirts back.

“It would suit you better,” he says, motioning to take it off.

Jisung whines. He is equally relieved and disappointed Jaemin isn’t actually taking off his shirt, though shirtless Jaemin would definitely render him useless at this point. 

Jaemin doubles down. “If you’re so brave, kiss me then. You’re a ghost, you shouldn’t be afraid of anything.”

“Is that a challenge?”

Jaemin didn’t answer him, simply shrugging.

Jisung reaches out, grabbing Jaemin’s shirt and gently pulling him closer. 

“I’ve been waiting to do this for a long time,” Jisung whispers before placing his lips onto Jaemin’s.

He responds immediately, their lips moving in unison, although a little awkward at first. They are so comfortable with each other usually, but this is new territory. Jisung’s hand finds a home in the nape of Jaemin’s neck and he softly squeezes. In the meantime, Jaemin is lightly tugging onto Jisung’s hair as they deepen their kiss.

When they finally pull apart, both of them are left a little breathless.

“I like that.”

“Worth repeating?”

“Whenever you’ll have me.”

**Author's Note:**

> thank u to sera for making this happen. i wrote this in one sitting n this turned out much longer than i wanted to but . its good  
[twitter @wayvyong](https://twitter.com/wayvyong)


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